Catching Up with Culture
The old way of doing business is over. It’s time for our jobs to become more than just the work we do.
The other night, as I sat in my living room watching the latest Game of Thrones episode for the sixth time, occasionally peeking at the dribbble shot I’d started (and abandoned), my mind wandered toward the previous day at work. I had made some good progress on a dashboard design, knocked out some functional documentation, and went out to dinner with some coworkers. Thinking about it, in my short time at 50onRed I already have countless memories and moments of which I’m proud. It’s rare to feel so much accomplishment in such a short amount of time, but I believe it was made possible by a workplace culture that keeps its team members engaged, productive, and most importantly, happy.
I felt immensely grateful to be a part of such a place. In fact, it wasn’t so long ago that this kind of environment was merely a fantasy, something I’d only read about in blog posts and articles from my favorite UXers.
First a little backstory
I started designing websites in April of 2001, when the web was very much in its infancy. I would spend the next handful of years freelancing for small businesses, before finally landing my first full-time design gig at a vacation company in Newtown Square. This first job was everything I was taught to expect from corporate culture: bureaucracy, politics, and a lack of respect or understanding for design. My Creative Director did everything she could to offer us respite from the shackles of corporate monotony, but the occasional outdoor lunch and Friday happy hour weren’t enough to overcome the misery of constantly evolving scope, unreasonable deadlines, and endless design revisions.
After two years of earning my stripes as an entry-level designer, I came across what I believed to be a better opportunity at a small marketing firm in King of Prussia. The interview process had been fantastic, and I was excited at the prospect of working for people who understood the knowledge and skills I possessed, and would allow me to put them to full use. Unfortunately, it turns out I was deceived during the interview, where I was basically told I would be the lead for the web design team within six months. As you can probably guess, that didn’t happen. Not only was I not being utilized as discussed, but I was actively admonished for attempting to voice my concerns. It ended up being the most hostile work environment I’ve ever been in, where talented designers were being relegated to pixel pushers, churning out full CMS websites that needed to be designed and developed in 3 weeks, with a $1,500 budget, while being told their effort isn’t good enough.
The next few years saw two more jobs, both in Pharma, which is a challenging industry for a UX professional. Between compliance/legal restrictions and never-ending client “requests” that we couldn’t possibly say no to, my roll was essentially relegated to that of production artist. When the company you work for doesn’t understand user experience, and doesn’t believe in it’s strategic value to the project process, then you’re dealing with a less than ideal atmosphere for growth.
When the time came to move on again, 50onRed was a no-brainer. Throughout the interview process I had a chance to witness everything I’d been fantasizing about, from the understanding and usage of proper UX principles, to a comfortable work environment with a damn beer fridge, to a VP of Product who ended my interview with a discussion about GTA V. When they offered me the position, I was beyond excited.
For the past six months I’ve been given many opportunities to grow as a designer and be fulfilled by the way I spend my days. I’ve been treated like a master of my craft by co-workers and management alike, trusted to use my years of knowledge to deliver the best product possible. I’ve been treated like a close friend by those I spend most of my waking hours with, often nerding out over the oxford comma or the HBO documentary ‘Silicon Valley’. I’ve been treated like an equal in the eyes of my peers, who have just as much invested in success as I do. At the end of the day, it’s the way I’m treated that keeps me coming back for more. That’s the power of culture.
So what is culture?
Culture is the experiential DNA of a workplace. It’s the seat you sit in. It’s the color of the walls. It’s the way you collaborate. It’s the people you work side-by-side with everyday. Culture is a company creating a workplace predicated on the notion that the people they hire to create their products are human beings with great ideas, who are passionate and want the opportunity to succeed. Without culture, employees have no identity or direction, and share no common purpose, leading to terrible morale and a general contempt for their role in the company.
All of my previous employers could have been great places to work, with the potential to be far more prosperous than they are now, but they have no culture. Not only don’t they have it, but they don’t believe in its importance. Slowly, the balance is shifting from the old way of doing things to the new. Where the old way believed that you were privileged just to show up and receive a paycheck, the new way believes a job is more than just the work you do. We spend nearly 20% of our lives at our jobs. Perhaps it’s time companies realize that we’d like that to consist of more than just cubicles and birthday cake.
